Best of the Blog: September/October 2018 Edition
Every issue we tally the hits from theBeijinger.com and bring you the most-viewed blogs from our website. Read on to see which blogs grabbed your attention over the past couple of months.
1. China-Africa Cooperation Brings Gridlocks and Blue Skies to Beijing
More than 50 African leaders recently convened in Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), bringing with it rush-hour gridlocks to the capital’s streets but also having the benefit of clearing the skies, harking back to 2014’s APEC Blue.
2. DDC and School Bar Announce Offbeat New Ventures
Two of Beijing’s most successful livehouses announced that they are branching out with offbeat new ventures. DDC is turning their hand to production, building a studio and venue space all the way out in Changli, Hebei, whereas School has opened a music training school, aptly titled Let’School.
3. One Month in China: The Biggest Mistakes I’ve Made so Far
A newbie looks back on having survived one entire month, detailing those things that most if not all of us encountered (though may not be keen to remember) when we were fresh off the boat. Weeing on you shoes, anyone?
4. Pollution Will Make You Stupid?
A study published by a Chinese-American research team claims to have found a correlation between air quality and intelligence. By analyzing the cognitive performance of some 20,000 Chinese men and women, their data seemed to suggest that prolonged exposure to polluted air comes at the detriment to cognitive ability. However, the study did not prove a cause and effect link between the two factors.
5. China Takes Aim at Video Games Amidst Rise in Gaming Addiction
Video game developers, including Tencent, saw their stocks tumble after Chinese authorities cited video games as one reason for the sharp rise in adolescent nearsightedness. As such, the government will seek to restrict access to online video games as well as tackle what authorities say is a video game addiction epidemic among Chinese youth.
6. Beijing to Hong Kong Train Travel to be Cut to 9 Hours
A bullet train link from Beijing to Hong Kong will cut journey time down from 24 hours to a mere nine as of late September. The line will run between Beijing West Train Station via Guangzhou and Shenzhen before terminating in Hong Kong’s new West Kowloon Station. Tickets are rumored to cost around RMB 1,000 one-way.
7. Monthly Rent in Beijing Soars to Skyscraper Heights
Beijing residents let out a collective (but unsurprised) groan upon learning that rent has risen 25 percent from last year, causing concern for the capital’s millions of occupants. Property agencies that control Beijing’s rental market through sublease contracts are partly to blame, countering with the promise of releasing tens of thousands of new rental properties into the market in the near future.
8. Cryptocurrency Promotion and Events Now Banned in Beijing
Cryptocurrency in Beijing suffered another blow after the government released a notice stating that public spaces such as malls, hotels, guesthouses, and offices are prohibited from promoting or holding cryptocurrency-related events. Though the notice did not specify what constitutes a publicity activity, it did ask that anyone who encounters such goings-on “report to the district office.”
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Photos: ABS-CBN, Felix Liu, The Telegraph, Unsplash, Anna Pellegrin-Hartley, Takungpao, Chicago Tribune, Cryptnus
